Jump to content

Christ Church Warleigh, Dickoya

Coordinates: 6°51′47.7″N 80°35′43.0″E / 6.863250°N 80.595278°E / 6.863250; 80.595278
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christ Church Warleigh
Map
LocationDickoya
CountrySri Lanka
DenominationAnglican church (Church of Ceylon)
History
Founded1878; 146 years ago (1878)
Founder(s)William Scott
Architecture
Functional statusActive

Christ Church Warleigh is an Anglican church in Sri Lanka built during the 19th century by the British. It is administered by the Church of Ceylon.[1] The church is regarded as one of the most prominent and oldest Anglican churches in Sri Lanka and is a tourist destination.[2] It is in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, in Dickoya, near the Nuwara Eliya District along the Hatton-Norwood road through the Warleigh Division. The church borders tea estates and the Castlereagh Reservoir.[2][3]

History

[edit]

Christ Church was built by the William Scott, the manager of the Governor's Mansion, in 1878, when the country was a British colony.[4][3] A bible printed in 1860s was presented to the church in July 1879 by Rev. Charles Hill, the rector of Warboys Parish, and is still preserved in the church.[3][5] The first British colonial Inspector General of the Ceylon Police, Sir George William Robert Campbell who came to Ceylon in 1866 is believed to be buried in the churchyard.[6]

Architecture

[edit]

The church was built in typical old British church architecture.[3][7] The walls of the church include granite stones. The church interior has wooden furniture seats, an ancient pipe organ (piano), an armchair, and wooden pulpit along with a 140 year old Bible.[8]

19th century stained glass windows, which depict paintings of Jesus Christ, were originally brought from England.[7] A baptismal font made of porcelain is adorned with floral designs. The church floor is laid out with imported floral tiles from England.[7]

A cemetery with tombstones of English colonial tea planters is next to the church.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Christ Church, Warleigh". Diocese of Colombo. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Christ Church Warleigh, Central, Sri Lanka — by Jodie Gallagher". Trover. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Historic churches with their unique possessions". The Island. 1 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Christ Church Warleigh | Nuwara Eliya | Sri Lanka | AFAR". www.afar.com. 6 October 2014. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  5. ^ "The remarkable history of the Christ Church Warleigh and its long preserved Bible". island.lk. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  6. ^ "The architectural monument Christ Church Warleigh and the history". Sunday Times. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d "Traces of history in Ceylon Tea bushes". Sunday Observer. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  8. ^ Ago, Anverin Warleigh • 2 Years (13 March 2018). "Historical Warleigh Christ Church Sri Lanka". Steemit. Retrieved 6 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

6°51′47.7″N 80°35′43.0″E / 6.863250°N 80.595278°E / 6.863250; 80.595278